


Little Gray Hair

by therainbowwitch



Category: HLVRAI - Fandom, half life but the ai is self aware
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Camping, Coomer can be a father figure, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Let me know if I need to add or change any tags, M/M, Panic Attacks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:47:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26909866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/therainbowwitch/pseuds/therainbowwitch
Summary: The Science Team goes to a lovely cabin to get a nice camping experience together!Too bad Gordon hasn't been camping since he was thirteen. Let alone step foot in a cabin.
Relationships: Benrey/Gordon Freeman, Bubby/Dr. Coomer (Half-Life)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 154





	Little Gray Hair

Gordon Freeman didn’t have a great childhood. Any kid with shitty parents can probably look back at their childhood and pick a few handful of good moments, but those bad parts can stick on you for far longer and definitely come up a lot more like dark tar clinging to you. No matter how much you try to wash it off it won’t come off. Gordon can pick out a camping trip with his dad that was one of the best times he’d ever had, and also the worst times he ever had.

He was thirteen, his dad had taken them out camping to a cabin he’d gone too when he was younger and where Gordon’s grandpa had taken his dad and so on and so on. Point is this thing was way too fucking old to still be standing. It had started out fairly normal, go through the cabin, start unpacking, chill out for a little bit before getting into high gear. Gordon’s dad brought him to a nearby lake just about five minutes from the cabin and started fishing. 

Then the drinking started and the smoking. Not even an hour in...

Thirteen year old’s should not be aware of how their parents get when they’re drunk. That was Gordon’s opinion on it anyways. Gordon’s thirteen year old opinion as he packed up the fishing gear as quick as he could, but little too late as his dad grabbed the fishing pole, hook still attached and swung it a little too quickly, getting the hook caught in Gordon’s hand. The brand new teenager screams as his dad coughs up smoke in his face, sobering up enough to also panic at the situation and pull it out of Gordon’s hand. Quickly shrugging it off, and telling Gordon two things.

“Don’t tell your mother, and don’t be such a baby about it.”

That night is rough for Gordon, sleeping in the quiet, creaking cabin. He cries, because that is the moment he realizes his father will not change despite it just being Gordon and him. There is nobody to impress, there is nobody. No, this is just who his father is. Gordon does not like his father, any love for him falls away in that moment. 

Thirteen year olds should not have to come to this realization, Gordon thinks.

A good memory turns sour, the smell of cigarette smoke is enough to bring it back. It’s always less of a panic and just turns Gordon’s mood sour for a few minutes. Now, to be fair, that wasn’t Gordon’s worst memory anymore. Sometimes he can look back and laugh, but just barely. The Resonance Cascade took first place for shitty memories, and he had come out of that whole mess with a brand new family of sorts. What a family it was though. 

It’s been a little over a year now since the ResCas, and Gordon is stuck in the middle seat of a car between Joshua and Benrey. Bubby and Coomer have taken the front seats, while Tommy, Sunkist, and Mr.Coolatta have opted to take...other measures to get to the campsite. Gordon has no fucking idea what that entails and at this point he’s too afraid to ask. 

Honestly he should have asked about four hours ago if he even wanted to go camping again. Let alone when Tommy suggested a cabin that he and his dad used to go too. That statement alone made Gordon’s stomach flip, and not in the fun way. Burning jealousy? Envy? Maybe he did still crave that connection. But that was a Gordon later problem.

It was later. Four hours later when Bubby finally pulls into the dirt and overgrown driveway of the cabin, right next to a slick black car that Gordon knew belonged to Mr.Coolatta. Benrey gets out, unclipping Joshua from his carseat and holding him as Gordon slides out on the other side.

“Buh...finally glad to be out of that car, ey Feetman?” Benrey teases quietly, careful to not wake Joshua. Gordon lets out a light laugh, watching Bubby go off into the cabin, Benrey quickly following after, still holding Joshua. Gordon looks up at the cabin, old, but not as old as the one he’d been too. Gordon picks at his hand, where the scar is. He’s covered in scars from Black Mesa. But he knows which comes from where.

“Ah, hello Gordon!” Dr.Coomer calls out to the younger man, startling Gordon out of a spiral that was forming. 

“Hey Dr.Coomer.” 

“Would you come help me with the luggage? I’m strong but have oh so many arms sadly!” Coomer asks, opening up the trunk of the car and pulling out two bags on his own. 

“Huh? Oh! Yeah! I’m on it.” The younger man walks to the back of the car, grabbing the last two bags and hosting them over his shoulders. With a swift kick to the trunk’s door it locks and the two turn to follow everyone into the cabin.

Except...Gordon hesitates. He knows it’s not the cabin directly but, it was the place of realization. The place where he realized a lot of things, things he wished he never had to realize. He can feel the panic, gripping the bags straps tightly in fear and anger. His breathing quickens, heart racing as he stares at the open door, he can’t see the science team, his family, he just sees his old family’s cabin, and suddenly Gordon is that thirteen year old kid again in bed crying in his-

“Gordon?” Gordon snaps out of his daze, the hand on his shoulder from Coomer being there. That’s something he can feel, gentle, careful, cautious. It’s...nice. Like a dad’s touch, trying to comfort their kid. Gordon used it on Joshua a multitude of times when he fell. It almost makes Gordon cry as he blinks back to reality.

“Huh? Sorry dad, I...what happened?” Gordon asks, relaxing his grip on the bags, trying to ignore how raw his hands feel now.

There’s a pause. 

The pause lasts a little too long, it lasts long enough for Gordon to realize what he just said. 

Well...shit.


End file.
